Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1887-02-16
MOnteZuna Tree.
From Harper's Bazaar

From Hsrper's Bazaar.
At the terminus of q broad avenu
running westerly for about three mile
from the San Cosme Garita, or west
ern gate of the City of Mexico, there i
g. rocky elevation, the highest point @
which may be 800 feet above the leve
OF the plain. This is Chapultepec
the bull of the grasshopper," one O
the most interesting points in wha
may be called American histor
ical topography. In the old 70
nance days, before the landing of Her
nando Cortez and his conquistadors
here was the royal palace and harem
OF the Montezumas; here was after
ward Spanish vice-regal palace; here
was to have been also the imperial
residence OF Macmillan and CarIotta
A favorite scheme of the Inflated
Hapsburg prince was the gradual re.
moval and rebuilding of the city OF
Mexico upon a new site, having Cha
pultepec for O. center. The excellent
condition of the avenue leading to the
city testifes to the promptness with
which actual work began upon the
proposed Improvement.
When the American invading army
under Gen. Scott approached the city,
late in the summer of 1847, they
found among the Notifications inn
pedlng their march to the gates not
any which promised a harder fight to
win than did those of "Grasshopper
Hill" The Mexicans had also forti-
fled Molino del Rey, q little further
west, and for good conduct in the
storming OF this post, on the 9Th of
September, ayoung second lieutenant
OF the Fourth Infantry, named Ulysses
5. Grant, received a brevet of first
lieutenant. When Chapultepec was
stormed on the 18th, he again be-
haved SO we'll that he was brevetted q
captain.
In the times of the Montezumas, as
at the present day, there stood at the
foot OF the hill of Chapultepec, on the
east, a gigantic cypress. It's height is
about ITO feet, and the girth of it's
trunk 46 feet. The long wells of Span
lsh moss waving from it's branches
add to it's picturesque and venerable
appearance. From the earliest re-
corded history until now it has been
known as 'el arbol de Montezuma,"
but without any distinct legend of the
precise manner of it's association with
the name of the Aztec monarch. At
all events, the historic connection has
been from the first sufficiently strong
to preserve the tree untouched.
Not far from the ancient cypress q
liberal spring of water gushes from the
base of Chapultepec, and has been in
like manner known as Montezuma's
Bath. Ages of Spanish and other rule
or misrule have not sufficed to de-
stroy in the minds of the Mexicans
their ancestral traditions, but the
spring rather than the tree preserves
q distinct memorial of the high char.
acter of the old semi-civiliza-
ton. Before the Spaniards came,
as now, the City of Mexico
was supplied with water by
means OF the two aqueducts be-
tween which lies the grand avenue
leadingt to Chapultepec. The aqueduct
which reaches the eastern base of the
hill is carried by 900 arches, and
through it the water of Montezuma's
Bath runs to the Grand Plaza. 1t
was damaged by the soldiers of Cortez,
but was restored by the Spanish
Viceroy in 1871, and it's solid masonry
afforded invaluable protection to
young Grant and his comrades while
they were fighting their difficult way
from Chapultepec to the San Cosme
Gate.